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Brad Keselowski is in a good place; the first to hold the points lead in this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™ and headed for Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he collected his first top-five finish at the track in May’s Coca-Cola 600. Keselowski’s seventh-place finish on Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway was his 13th top 10 in his most recent 14 starts and 19th overall.

This Saturday night’s Bank of America 500 marks halfway in the 2012 Chase as Keselowski leads Jimmie Johnson by 14 points and Denny Hamlin by 23. The standings leader after four races has gone on to win the championship five times in the Chase era – Kurt Busch (2004), Tony Stewart (2005) and Johnson (2008-10). Reigning champion Stewart stood seventh a year ago after Race No. 4, 19 points behind Carl Edwards.

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Despite leading 377 more laps than Elliott Sadler to date this season, last year’s champion Ricky Stenhouse remains on the outside looking in with five races remaining.

A solid fourth-place finish at Dover allowed Sadler to increase his lead over Stenhouse to nine points. Stenhouse Jr. holds the second spot followed by Austin Dillon (-25), Sam Hornish (-60), and Justin Allgaier (-128).

The battle between Sadler and Stenhouse is destined to go down to the wire with both having victories at upcoming tracks on the schedule. Sadler won earlier this season at Phoenix International Raceway while Stenhouse took home the trophy at Texas Motor Speedway.

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FYI WIRZ: NASCAR’s Chase shuffles final contenders with scant points for all

by Dwight Drum at Racetake.com

The regular NASCAR season of 26 races is over and 12 drivers have qualified for the 2012 Chase for the Sprint Cup championship playoffs after an early morning finish dictated by sporadic rain in Richmond.

Denny Hamlin vaulted to the top spot with his four wins, but Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, and Brad Keselowski are back only three points with their hat trick win totals.

Continue reading “FYI WIRZ: NASCAR’S Chase Shuffles Final Contenders With Scant Points For All”